Resolution 1559 vs. Taif Accord A question: there seems to be a broad consensus in Lebanon for Syrian troops to leave. There is no such consensus on UN Resolution 1559, which calls for disarming Hizbullah. If Hizbullah wants to take part in the political future of Lebanon, why doesn't it disband its military arm? Isn't part of national sovereignty the ability to protect the government internally and externally? Would the United States, whose principle of seperation of church and state is so admired by my friend Hasan, allow an armed militia to exist within its borders, unaccountable to civilian government control?

I find it hard to avoid the conclusion that Hizbullah is more interested in pursuing Syria's interests than Lebanon's...  ¶ 8:23 PM

  On Israel, Zionism, The Middle East, and 'Reality' I find it interesting that Hasan accuses President Bush of being divorced from reality in the same post in which he talks about a 'small' Lebanese opposition. Hasan claims that the opposition was 'embarrassed' by the staged, Syrian-organized Hizbullah demonstration, but conveniently ignores the far larger, much more spontaneous, and undeniably anti-Syrian rallies going on at this very moment. Oh, but don't take my word for it, listen to the liberal New York Times.

Even a cursory reading of the Hebrew Bible reveals an Israel that is bound by its faith to the land of Canaan (see Martin Buber, among others). Hasan may argue against Israel, but he cannot credibly claim that Zionism and the Jewish state are not entwined. This does not amount to a blanket endoresement of current Israeli policies; nor does it mean I am 'against' the Palestinians. I am the first to admit that abuses have occurred on both sides, but a dislike of Israeli policies and a caricatured portrait of President Bush cannot hide the fact that freedom is on the march, and that Bush has been a driving force behind it. I refer you to the words of his Second Inaugural Address:

We are led, by events and common sense, to one conclusion: The survival of liberty in our land increasingly depends on the success of liberty in other lands. The best hope for peace in our world is the expansion of freedom in all the world.

Which part of that does Hasan disagree with, other than the speaker of the words?

I am disappointed to find my friends of the Left still, at this late date, reflexively taking the anti-U.S. position, as long as it offers a chance to take shots at the current occupant of the White House. George W. Bush has loudly proclaimed his support for a Palestinian state. He is the first President to do so as a matter of official policy. In fact, in August 2004, he was the first President to use the term Palestine to refer to a politically sovereign entity. Facts are funny things; they often get in the way, but they can't be ignored.  ¶ 7:04 AM